ROSARITO BEACH, Mexico— Steadiness to the finish line earned Mexico’s veteran Juan C. Lopez the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck division victory Saturday at the internationally-televised Rosarito Beach 20th SCORE Desert Challenge in Rosarito Beach, Mexico.
With a special race format, Round 3 of the four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship is being held through Sunday in Mexico’s Baja California. Starting and finishing just south of Rosarito Beach, the colorful resort area on the Pacific Ocean located just 19 miles from the U.S. Border south of San Diego. The actual start/finish area, hot pits and primary spectator area is located at Los Manantiales off of old Highway 1 south of central Rosarito.
On Sunday, the motorcycle and quad classes will run their dual, two-lap sessions to conclude the event.
Juan C. Lopez, 42, of Tecate, Mexico completed his four laps of rugged 32.1-mile loop course in a combined total winning time of two hours, 57 minutes, and 32 seconds over the complete 128.4 miles with an average speed of 43.39 miles per hour in the No. 18 RPM Ford F-150.
Juan C. Lopez covered the final two laps on Saturday in 1:30:05 and his first two on Friday in 1:27:27. After having the fastest time in the first two laps, he was second fastest in the second two laps on Saturday.
Finishing third overall and second in SCORE Trophy Truck after running third after Friday’s first two laps SCORE Trophy Truck heading into the final day of the race is current SCORE Trophy Truck point leader Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas who deftly cruised into the finish line Saturday in a total time of 2:59.18 with an average speed of 42.97 mph, one minute, 46 seconds behind the winning Juan C. Lopez.
What was expected to be a close finish, had an ironic twist as Lopez’s son Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez crossed the finish line first Saturday as the possible race winner but SCORE race officials assessed a post-race 15-minute time penalty for a course infraction.
The young Lopez, just 21 of Tecate, Mexico finished third in SCORE Trophy Truck and sixth overall. The reigning SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion was given a final adjusted time of in 3:10.58 with an average speed of 40.34 mph in the No. 1 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck.CLASS 1 SUPERLATIVE
Winning Class 1 and finishing second overall was Jaime Huerta Jr, Calexico, Calif., who finished with a combined total time of 2:58:52 with an average speed of 43.07 mph.LOPEZ REMARKS
In earning his first career SCORE Trophy Truck and SCORE overall race victory, Juan C. Lopez commented afterwards, “We had one flat today that cost us some time. (On racing with his son Carlos “Apdaly” Lopez.) We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to spend so much time racing together and this race just adds to Apdaly’s experience. We went to dinner last night and we got a chance to talk about today and I told him to try and avoid flats and take care of the truck.”
“When we are competing we try to keep track of each other because I always want to know how he is doing. He started out in quads and I was afraid that he might get hurt so right now his focus is on the trucks.”WILSON COMMENTS
Reflecting on his podium run, Wilson, who won this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 said, “I don’t think this run got us up to the top. We were just wanting to finish the race and not push too hard because going into the SCORE Baja 1000 we wanted to still be up in points. It would be nice to go in leading but it is kind of an agonizing race knowing that you have to do well but yet you have to finish.”
“We ran a really clean race today and there was nothing too crazy. We were smart about our lines. We maintained and eased our way through all of the rocks and it got us here. Having two-minute starting splits let us run more on a time trial basis which was really needed in the mountains because of cliff edges and zero visibility. After the first lap we had caught him (Carlos “Apdaly” Lopez #1) but we were both trying to be careful so it was like a slow-motion race. He was going a moderate speed and we were trying to go a little bit faster without making a mistake but we weren’t able to pass him.”TOP FIVE FINISHERS
Following Juan C. Lopez, Huerta Jr and Wilson to complete the top five finisher group were: fourth overall and second in Class 1 was Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif.with a time of Fourth and winning Trophy Truck Spec was Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico with a time of 3:000:06 in a Jimco-Chevy and fifth overall in winning Trophy Truck Spec was Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico in a time of 3:09:02 in the No. 274 Chevy 1500.OTHER CLASS WINNERS
Among the other class winners were Todd Winslow, Covis, Calif./Matt Winslow, Clovis, Calif. (Class10, Alumi Craft-Chevy), Gustavo Pinuelas, Calexico, Calif. (SCORE Lites, Jimco-VW), Cesar Fiscal, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 1/2-1600, Romo VW), Marc Burnett, Lakeside, Calif. (Pro UTV FI, No. 2905 Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo), Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico/Gerardo Iribe, Santa Ana, Calif. (Class 5, No. 500 unlimited VW Baja Bug), Greg Row, Alpine, Calif. (Pro UTV, No. 1901 Polaris RZR XP1000), JT Holmes/JT Holmes Jr, Reno, Nev. (Class 7, No. 725 Ford Ranger), Hector Hurtado, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 5-1600, No. 599 1600cc VW Baja Bug), Aaron Ampudia, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 8, No. 836 Ford F-150) and Mauro Diaz, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 11, No. 1109 VW Sedan).LIVE STREAMING
All of the week’s festivities are airing live, including race days and vehicle tracking via the internet on the SCORE website and the new SCORE App.SPECIAL FORMAT
Unique for SCORE, the 20th time using this race format is seeing all classes racing a total of four laps over a surprisingly rugged 32.1-mile race course (128.4 total miles) split into two, two-lap sessions.
Nearly140 total entries have come from 17 U.S. States and three countries. Classes for cars, trucks and UTVs were divided into four groups, running their first two laps on Friday and their final two laps on Saturday.
The motorcycle and quad classes will run as one large group, running all of their laps on Sunday, their first two in the morning and the final two in the afternoon following a break.
On Sunday in the elapsed-time race with vehicles starting in 30-second intervals, motorcycles and quads will start their first two laps at 10:30 a.m. PT and their final two laps starting at 2 p.m. PT with their course closing at 3:55 p.m.SPECTATORS
Local organizations sponsoring and supporting the Rosarito Beach 20th SCORE Desert Challenge have developed a special and gradually-elevated spectator area at Los Manantiales with line-of-sight viewing of the start line, finish line, hot pits and first and last portions of the race course. The spectator area will also include food and beverage stands and novelty vendors. The spectator area will also have its own access road with ample directional signage to the area.
The rest of the course will include limited access to spectators in specific locations that will be under police supervision as much of the challenging course winds through several private ranches in the area that are entirely fenced in.HISTORIC COURSE
The race features a colorful course, finalized by SCORE CEO/President Roger Norman along with Race Director Jose A. Grijalva of 32.1 miles through the foothills and around a mountain to the south and east of central Rosarito Beach. It will start and finish at the Los Manantiales area.
This landmark race course is another memorable example of Baja California diversity in terrain starting near sea-level and climbing up twice to around 2,000 feet. The course will be another unique jewel reflecting the majestic beauty of Baja California going through more ranches than most SCORE race courses.
Traveling in a clockwise direction, the race course weaves its way through washes, on existing trails, up and over a ridgeline trail at the top of two hills and back down into the start/finish line area off of the old Highway 1 south of Rosarito Beach at Los Manantiales.
Filled with farms and ranches, the race course goes through areas like Piedra Azul, Panchos, Loma Del Gato and Loma Bonita while racing around the famous El Cerro del Coronel mountain in areas where SCORE has never before held a race.
The race course will include three physical, full-stop checkpoints, checkpoint No. 1 at race-mile 9.4, CP No. 2 at race-mile 18.6 and CP No. 3 at race-mile 26.7.HISTRIONICS
While this will be the first time in Rosarito, the SCORE Desert Challenge has been held 19 previous times since it first began in 1995. It was held in Laughlin, Nev., USA, from 1995 through 2012 and in Plaster City, Calif., USA, in 2014.CBS SPORTS NETWORK COVERAGE
All races in the four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship, along with the special SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience and qualifying for the SCORE Baja 1000 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway are once again airing in the USA and Canada on the CBS Sports Network. The spectacular shows feature not only SCORE Trophy Truck coverage, but also top action and highlights from many other classes of trucks, cars, UTVs, motorcycles and quads – making sure that the most exciting footage and most compelling stories continue as part of each race event broadcast.
Capping off the 2016 broadcast season, the SCORE Baja 1000 broadcast on CBS Sports Network will air as a full two-hour special for the second straight year.ON THE AIR
2016 CBS Sports Network Original Broadcast Schedule (subject to change, check local listings)
· SCORE San Felipe 250 (first telecast-Sunday, April 17, 9 p.m. ET)
· SCORE Baja 500 (first telecast-Sunday, July 24, 9 p.m. ET)
· Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge (first telecast-Sunday, Nov. 13, 9 p.m. ET)
· SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying @SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience (first telecast-Sunday, Dec.18, 9 p.m. ET)
· SCORE Baja 1000 (two-hour special) (first telecast-Sunday, December 25, 9 p.m. ET)CBS SPORTS NETWORK
CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.SCOREscope
The four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship includes four special events and for the first time all four are being held in Baja California, Mexico. Here is the complete 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule:
· 30th SCORE San Felipe 250, Feb. 25-28, San Felipe, Mexico
· 48th SCORE Baja 500, June 1-5, Ensenada Mexico
· Rosarito Beach 20th SCORE Desert Challenge, Sept. 14-18, Rosarito Beach, Mexico
· 49th SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.16-20, Ensenada, MexicoSCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: Bud Light-Official Beer, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Vision Wheel – Official Wheel, Axial R/C-Official R/C Vehicle, Muck Daddy-Official Hand Cleaner, CBS Sports Network-Official Television Partner, Wide Open Excursions- Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
Official SCORE Partners: 4 Wheel Parts, Coca Cola, The Satellite Phone Store, PCI Race Radios.
Additional SCORE Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Visit Baja California Sur, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamineto, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, McKenzie’s Performance Products, Advanced Color Graphics.
Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge Special Partners: Vi Ayuntamiento de Playas de Rosarito, Cotuco de Playas de Rosarito, Comite de Mercadatecnia Playas de Rosarito, Baja California Secretary of Tourism.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCORE-International.com.

Driver quotes after second half and finish of the race – Saturday, Sept. 17

PRO CARS & TRUCKS

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK

JUAN C. LOPEZ, No. 18 (First in class.) — We had one flat today that cost us some time. (On racing with his son Carlos “Apdaly” Lopez.) We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to spend so much time racing together and this race just adds to Apdaly’s experience. We went to dinner last night and we got a chance to talk about today and I told him to try and avoid flats and take care of the truck. When we are competing we try to keep track of each other because I always want to know how he is doing. He started out in quads and I was afraid that he might get hurt so right now his focus is on the trucks.

BILLY WILSON, No. 15 (Second in class.) I don’t think this run got us up to the top. We were just wanting to finish the race and not push too hard because going into the SCORE Baja 1000 we wanted to still be up in points. It would be nice to go in leading but it is kind of an agonizing race knowing that you have to do well but yet you have to finish. We ran a really clean race today and there was nothing too crazy. We were smart about our lines. We maintained and eased our way through all of the rocks and it got us here. Having two-minute splits let us run more on a time trial basis which was really needed in the mountains because of cliff edges and zero visibility. After the first lap we had caught him (Carlos “Apdaly” Lopez #1) but we were both trying to be careful so it was like a slow-motion race. He was going a moderate speed and we were trying to go a little bit faster without making a mistake but we weren’t able to pass him.

CARLOS “APDALY” LOPEZ, No. 1 (Third in class.) — It was a very demanding race because of the difficulty of the course. We knew we had a lead over Billy Wilson of about four minutes so we tried not to push anything. Our goal was to try and finish as high as we could in this race to gain momentum going into the SCORE Baja 1000. It is very interesting to compete against my dad because everything I know I learned from him. It is really a nice thing to compete against the person that taught you everything. (On stopping past the finish line and drawing a penalty) We were going faster than we were planning so the braking point wasn’t right and we stopped about 25 feet after the finish line. The brakes were a little hot but the brakes were good so it was mental error.

CLASS 1

JAMIE HUERTA, JR., No. 175 (First in class.) — Everything went really well and I was trying to build on yesterday’s run. We took some chances to try and make up the deficit from yesterday and fortunately we didn’t have any problems. Taking some chances seems to have paid off. I think we ran a good race. The course is dangerous and you have to run with a cool head to avoid tragedy.

BRAD WILSON, No. 153 (Second in class.) — I took the first lap a little too conservatively because I didn’t drive yesterday and I knew there would be a lot of flats out there. Ray Griffith drove yesterday and gave me the car in a great position but I let it slip on the first lap. I tried to play catch up on the second but it didn’t pay off today. I think this will give us the points lead going into the SCORE Baja 1000. We are across the finish line so we are happy.

TROPHY TRUCK SPEC

ELIAS HANNA, No. 274 (First in class.) — The course was really good and I knew I had to charge really fast in the first lap because I couldn’t let the other trucks get ahead. I pushed it too hard the first 10 miles and caught the first two and then took my pace. My team was doing a really good job calling the times. We knew on lap two that we were ahead by four minutes so we kept the pace, kept the gap and now we are on the box.

GONZALO PIRRON, No. 252 (Second in class. Rudy Iribe drove both days.) — CO-DRIVER RUDY IRIBE said: The plan was for Gonzalo to race today but he got the stomach flu and wasn’t able to. We drove conservatively so we wouldn’t get a flat because we knew with a flat we would certainly lose the race. Going a little bit faster would put us in jeopardy of losing the race and we didn’t want to do that. We saw that we could make five minutes today not running in the dust. We kept everything really tight and on cue.

CLASS 10

TODD WINSLOW, No. 1081 (First in class. Matt Winslow drove the first day. Todd Winslow drove the second day.) — Matt had a good race yesterday and we had some sportsmanship issues with guys not getting out of his way so he rode in the dust. He got us within two minutes of first place yesterday. Today we did well with no issues. I didn’t race yesterday so I was fresh. It might be a slight disadvantage (changing drivers between days) because on that first lap you are seeing it for the first time. We are a father and son team so we are going to split the time. That’s more important to me than any advantage with one driver.

RAFAEL NAVARRO IV, No. 1009. (Second in class.) — We were up front in the lead Class 10 car and we were dealing with a couple of the Class 1 cars at the beginning of the race. Coming in we got a little confused where the inbound and outbound parts of the course come together. We got back on course but coming into the infield we had a left-front tire going down. I think it was a puncture from yesterday. Luckily my crew guys were able to put a new tire on and we got going again. Ten miles in it got really slick and the car oversteered right off of the course. We were stuck there for a few minutes but unfortunately we got passed by two Class 10 cars. The way the course is there isn’t room to get around people so we had to sit in their dust the rest of the way. I blew it, but at the end of the day we are leading the championship points and will hopefully win the SCORE Baja 1000.

MIKE LAWRENCE, No. 1058 (Third in class.) — The course was really rocky and there are both fast parts and slow technical parts but overall it is really rocky. There was nowhere to pass and I tried to baby the tires as much as possible but they came apart on me both days.

ARMANDO BOEHME, No. 1060 (Fourth in class.) — The car ran strong today and we had a clean race. We blew two tires at the same time yesterday.

CLASS 8

AARON AMPUDIA, No. 836 (First in class. Alan Ampudia drove the first day and Aaron Ampudia drove the second day.) — It was a really good weekend. Alan (Ampudia) put on great times yesterday and today we just had to bring it home and pass the first Class 8 in front of us. We passed him at race mile five and it was just cruising from there. We were the first car on the road by mile five and there were still some fences closed so we had to get out and open the fences. It’s great that we were able to have a race in Rosarito Beach and I think it will grow because it is such a fun track. It’s a weekend and completely different from what is in Ensenada and San Felipe. I think it will grow and become the next Laughlin.

CLASS 1/2-1600

CESAR FISCAL, No. 1644 (First in class.) — I started way in the back and it was really hard in the fog and the dust but we had a pretty good run. My co-driver did good work on the GPS. We were pushing it and passing cars and got up front. The course was different today because the big trucks ran yesterday afternoon and they moved all the dirt and rocks.

RAMON BIO, No. 1616 (Second in class. Cisco Bio drove the first day and Ramon Bio drove the second day.) — I started third off the line and as soon as we got over the first hill I passed the second place car but then I got a flat going into the first wash. We got passed by two or three cars and there was so much fog and dust it was horrible. We just powered through it and passed a few cars. I’m thankful that we are here because we are adding points for the championship.

FERNIE PADILLA, No. 1632 (Fourth in class.) — It wasn’t a smooth day. I had a flat right off the bat and I didn’t run with a spare today. I pulled over and put a front tire on the rear and ran the rest of the lap to the pit.

RUBEN SANUDO, No. 1606 (Fifth in class. Roberto Romo drove the first day and Ruben Sanudo drove the second day.) — We had a much better day than yesterday. Yesterday my co-driver (Roberto Romo) rolled over. I rolled over at race mile 30 today and lost about two minutes. We had a hard time in the fog on the first lap but the second lap was much better.

SCORE LITES

GUSTAVO PINUELAS, No. 1204 (First in class.) — We were the last car to leave the start. We had a flat at race mile 1.5 on the first lap but we were able to come back and catch some other cars. This race was only for fun because I like Rosarito.

MIKE AGUILAR, No. 1274 (Second in class.) –On the first lap we were stuck behind another car and we were in his dust almost the whole lap. We finally got around him down here in the silt hill and then we caught another car and sat in his dust. We finally got around him and I got a flat. From there on it was just pushing to the finish.

LUIS BARRAGAN, No. 1210 (Sixth in class.) –I think I’m going to be penalized for passing too fast at the finish line. It was the only mistake of the day.

CLASS 5

VICTOR CESENA, No. 500 (First in class. Victor Cesena drove the first day and Gerardo Iribe drove the second day.) — CO-DRIVER GERARDO IRIBE said: We had an awesome race and I was happy to have my son Chuy co-ride with me this year. He will be driving very soon. The course was tight and it was dusty but that’s the way racing goes. We had to pace ourselves and make sure we didn’t make a mistake and throw the championship away in a corner. It was an awesome course and very technical. I think SCORE did a marvelous job of patrolling the course and keeping the spectators away. With the dust and as narrow as the course was we are thankful that they did such a good job watering the course and keeping spectators fenced off.

CLASS 7

JT HOLMES Jr., No. 725 (First in class. JT Holmes drove the first day. JT Holmes, Jr. drove the second day.) — Today was fun and smooth right until the very end when we broke a brake caliper. It sheared in half, jammed and locked up the whole rear end. We took the bar that we use to jack up the truck and smashed it until it fell off. Once we were free we drove slowly across the finish line. I hope we come back to Rosarito Beach because it is a wonderful place to hang out for a weekend.

Pro UTV FI

MARC BURNETT, No. 2905 (First in class.) — We took it easy today just to take care of the tires. We had a flawless day but we were starting to run out of gas near the end of the race. We estimated our gas yesterday but with the silt and the way the terrain was today we used a lot more fuel.

MIKE CAFRO, No. 2975 (Second in class. Mike Cafro drove the first day and Jamie Kirkpatrick drove the second day.) — We had a little bit of an issue in the last lap. We lost our brakes and we had some issues with belt temperatures which inhibits us from driving the car to its full potential so we have to back off in certain areas and let the belt temp cool down.

CODY RAHDERS, No. 2916 (Third in class.) — We had no problems today. We were able to run lap to lap as fast as we could. We got caught by a little bit of dust on the first lap but once we got around the dust it was push as hard as we could for that second lap. It definitely puts the car to its limits and it didn’t disappoint.

Pro UTV

GREG ROW, No. 1901 (First in class. Josh Row drove the first day. Greg Row drove the second day.) – The Trophy Trucks tore up the course and it was so much more chunky today. I took it easy on the first lap and lit the wick to it at the very end.

CLASS 5-1600

ANTONIO RAMIREZ, No. 589 (Fourth in class.) — Yesterday I had some problems with the clutch on the second lap. Today I ran the whole race without brakes after hitting a rock and knocking off a brake line.

CLASS 11

MAURO DIAZ, No. 1109 (First in class. Mauro Diaz drove the first day and Armando Ventura drove the second day.) — CO-DRIVER ARMANDO VENTURA said: We just wanted to finish the race so we took a pace and it seems like it worked. The course was rough compared to yesterday and running it was different than yesterday. The first half of the first lap was foggy and dusty and it was hard to see.